When the New York Jets look for a fourth straight victory over the New England Patriots, they’ll look for complete NFL legitimacy.
- New York Jets (3-2)
- New England Patriots (3-2)
- NFL, Week 6, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
- MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, New Jersey
And here come the New England Patriots.
Three wins a row? One of the top surprises and feel-good stories of the 2017 NFL season? One of the youthful, exuberant squads in all the land who has simultaneously snapped back the tank talk while competing in their own unique way?
Yup. That’s exactly who these New York Jets are.
But if they’d like to keep the time rolling and really elevate a few notches, that opportunity has come in the form of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Should the Jets defeat the Pats, win a fourth straight game and take sole possession of first place in the AFC East, perhaps then they’ll be considered a legit threat. Although, it may take more time. Very few think anything of the 3-2 Jets at the moment thanks to all of the tank talk this past summer.
Either way, the Pats bring great opportunity for the green and white.
NEXT: Jets-Pats Injury Report
Injury Report
The two players up the air for Sunday are Muhammad Wilkerson (shoulder, toe) and Bilal Powell (strained calf). Matt Forte and Kony Ealy will both return to the lineup after missing last week’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Should Powell miss the game, yet again, Elijah McGuire will step up and blend in with the veteran. He didn’t practice all week, so most are expecting him to miss the contest. Big Mo’s status is important in terms of helping Leonard Williams produce interior pressure against Tom Brady.
Alert the presses. Tom Brady is hurt. Well, he’s found himself on the injury report for a decade-running until recently, listed as questionable with a shoulder, but now, it seems to be the real deal.
Brady’s left shoulder is banged up. It was revealed that he has an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. In classic Pats fashion, he’s not worried, via patriots.com:
“I’m good. I’m not worried about it. Yeah, I’ll be there Sunday. Don’t worry about that. I’ll be there,” Brady declared. “I think everybody does [play with injuries and pain]. I mean, there’s a lot of bumps and bruises over the course of a year. So, I’m not concerned.”
Rob Gronkowski was limited in practice late in the week and looks to be on track to play.
Rex Burkhead looks like the only Pat whose status is still unclear.
NEXT: Jets Keys to Victory
Matchups to Watch:
1. Jamal Adams Against the RBs and TEs
Never has a New York Jets defense been more equipped to handle a Tom Brady offense than right now.
Why? Well, it’s simple. His name is Jamal Adams.
What Brady and the Pats do so well is taking advantage of today’s NFL rules and literally dink-and-dunk their way down the field. To Brady, it’s one giant matchup game. The moment he highlights a matchup in his favor — usually a running back or tight end on a safety or linebacker — he kills it.
With Jamal Adams and Darron Lee replacing slow-footed defenders Calvin Pryor and David Harris, that advantage is suddenly wiped out.
2. Jets Rushing Attack Against Down Pats Defense
Whenever a team plays the Pats, ball control is usually one of the names of the game. Can the Jets rebound from a poor rushing attack-game against the Cleveland Browns and get right back at it against a Pats rushing defense that’s currently ranked 24th in the league (124.2 YPG)?
3. Todd Bowles Against the Clock
If the game is hanging in the balance, Todd Bowles will be literally on the clock.
We know how legendary Bill Belichick is when he’s handling the sideline. The way he navigates a game through clock management is second-to-none.
If the Jets want to win this one, Bowles will have to come through at least one giant time on Sunday as it pertains to the clock and sideline management.
NEXT: Final Prediction
Final Prediction
The New York Jets can absolutely win this game. Prior to conventional and so-called “expert” belief this past summer, this roster isn’t the worst in a decade. In fact, it’s an average roster on paper.
The game of football is funny. Sometimes, average rosters quickly turn into good rosters thanks to early-season locker room momentum. Suddenly, teams start to believe in a season and start playing over their heads.
I cannot stress to you the importance of Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. The safety is literally the difference-maker in today’s offensive football game and against a guy like Tom Brady — who’s always looking to take advantage of a matchup — these kids will do a lot to shut it down.
Give me the Jets in a shocker. They’ll take a lead into the fourth quarter, run the ball effectively and make one or two huge plays on defense.